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	Woman Determined to Testify in Priest Sex-abuse Lawsuit By Eva Hoare The Chronicle-Herald January 9, 2010 http://thechronicleherald.ca/NovaScotia/1161325.html Joanne Muron-Sullivan says she’s prepared to go to court to recount how Father Raoul Deveau sexually assaulted her over a two-year period, starting when she was 10. And even if she is the only person "strong enough" to sue the Catholic Church over Father Deveau’s alleged actions, "so be it," the South Shore woman said. "When I started this suit, I was alone," Ms. Muron-Sullivan said in a telephone interview Thursday. "I know what happened to me. I know when it happened. I know what he did and I know how this has affected my life." Launched in September 2006, Ms. Muron-Sullivan’s legal action against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Yarmouth and Terrence Prendergast, the former archbishop of Halifax who presided over Yarmouth, was the first lawsuit to attempt to hold the church accountable for the priest’s actions at St. Joseph’s Parish in Weymouth. Another woman, Linda Deschamp, came forward this past December when she took legal action against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Yarmouth and Archbishop Anthony Mancini, Archbishop of Halifax, who presides over the Yarmouth diocese. In the lawsuit, Ms. Deschamp alleges she was sexually abused by Father Deveau, who’s now dead, for more than a decade and was forced to pretend she was his niece. Ms. Deschamp’s alleged abuse occurred in the parish of St. Thomas in Shelburne, court documents said. Assaults against her allegedly occurred in a different parish as well, after the priest was transferred due to complaints about his living arrangement with Ms. Deschamp, court documents state. But Ms. Muron-Sullivan alleges her abuse, which she said included sexual assault and unwanted touching, known in legal terms as "battery," occurred in the parish in Weymouth. She said in Thursday’s interview that she wanted to make it clear she was not physically abused by Father Deveau. The Catholic Church has denied all the abuse allegations in Ms. Muron-Sullivan’s case, which has now completed the discovery stage. A church spokeswoman also said there would be no comment on the Muron-Sullivan or the Deschamp cases. But on Thursday, Marilyn Sweet said the church is not commenting for legal reasons, but it doesn’t want the public to have the impression there is no "care" for those involved. Ms. Muron-Sullivan, now in her 50s, said she felt very badly to hear of Ms. Deschamp’s ordeal. Like Ms. Deschamp, Ms. Muron-Sullivan said she was also asked by Father Deveau to come and work at the church rectory. Ms. Muron-Sullivan said legal reasons prevent her from discussing the details of how she broke free from the abuse, which she said she managed to do so after two years. The woman remembers how sad she was to read about two male victims of alleged sexual abuse by another Nova Scotia priest this fall. "I winced as I read the words. The story is so familiar," she said, describing the years of pain and shame she endured. "This abuse happened at a time when a priest was considered next to God himself." Contact: ehoare@herald.ca
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